Upper Darby Performing Arts Center Announces the 42nd Season of Upper Darby Summer Stage

Upper Darby Performing Arts Center proudly presents the 42nd season of Upper Darby Summer Stage which features the national, non-equity premiere of the new musical "The Hunchback of Notre Dame," Summer Stage's Mainstage musical. A summertime tradition for thousands of family members throughout the Philadelphia region, Upper Darby Summer Stage has been empowering young people and entertaining families since 1976.

The series of summer performances includes seven live musicals presented in six weeks, showcasing the talents of young performers from throughout the Delaware Valley. Performances begin on July 5 and end on August 11 and take place at Upper Darby Performing Arts Center, 601 North Lansdowne Avenue, Drexel Hill, PA. Tickets for the season go on sale to the public on May 23rd.

The staff is thrilled to announce that Upper Darby Summer Stage has been selected as the first non-equity theater in the U.S. to stage the new musical "The Hunchback of Notre Dame." The Mainstage production - Victor Hugo's epic tale of hope, love and passion - soars to life in the emotionally charged retelling of the celebrated classic. The season's Mainstage show is the pinnacle of the Summer Stage season and will be an epic, full-scale production with full orchestra and large choir, offering top-production value that will appeal to everyone who loves musical theater. The cast includes young people up to the age of 28 years old. Performances are July 28, 29, August 4, 5 at 7:30 pm, with family matinees on July 29 and August 5 at 1:30 pm.

In addition to the Mainstage production, Upper Darby Summer Stage will present six hour-long children's theater musicals including "Annie, Jr.," "Madagascar, A Musical Adventure, Jr.," "Shrek, Jr.," "How I Became a Pirate," "Curious George, The Golden Meatball," and Disney's "Beauty and the Beast, Jr." All Children's Theater shows are geared toward children four and up and are approximately 60 minutes long. Performances begin on July 5 until August 11 with performances every Wednesday, Thursday and Friday at 10:30 am and on Thursday evenings at 7:30 pm.

This summer Upper Darby Summer Stage celebrates forty-two seasons of introducing families from throughout the Philadelphia region to live musical theater. Upper Darby Summer Stage is one of the most successful youth theater programs in the country as over 750 young people from the Philadelphia region participate in the program and over 32,000 ticket-holders attend the shows.

In the short span of six weeks Summer Stage presents 34 performances including the Children's Theater and Mainstage performances, one-act performances, a Dance Troupe performance and a Cabaret production. Summer Stage's staff of over 100 professional directors, choreographers, costumers, and technicians is committed to providing excellent musical theater training and high-quality performances for families throughout the region.

Summer Stage has been recognized twice as the "The Best Children's Theater" by Main Line Parent Magazine and recently Upper Darby Performing Arts Center was recently recognized by HulaFrog as the "Most Loved Place to Go" within the Philadelphia region. Founder and Executive Director Harry Dietzler received the Barrymore Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Arts and recently received an Honorable Mention in the Tony Award's Excellence in Theater Education Awards, the only theater teacher in the state of Pennsylvania to be recognized out of a field of over 3,000 applicants.

The Upper Darby Performing Arts Center is jointly sponsored by Upper Darby Township Mayor and Council and the Upper Darby School District Board of School Directors through the Department of Recreation and Leisure Services.